Go Slowly
by HeyWhoTurnedOutTheLights
Summary: In all his wildest dreams he'd never anticipated Rose Tyler being a threat. Of any kind. Spans 9th/10th Doctors. AU from S4.
1. Distractions

Radiohead: Go Slowly - In Rainbows CD2, Street Spirit & Just - The Bends. Standard disclaimers apply, I own nothing Beeb & Terry Nation own all.

The Doctor scratched his head even as he lay the sonic screwdriver on the grating in front of him. He studied the open panel he'd been maintaining as he tried to work out what it was that had managed to break through his fantastic concentration.

Jack had announced a lazy day, rain checking on any adventures with a loud yawn claiming even he needed his beauty sleep every now and then. Rose had been more than happy to comply; although her sleep cycle had adjusted to The Doctor's own more unusual patterns there were more than enough rooms on the T.A.R.D.I.S. she had yet to explore. An adventure in itself she'd grinned.

The Doctor had taken this rare opportunity to carry out some much needed maintenance, the helmic regulators had been a little…off on their last few trips and even sitting on the Cardiff Rift hadn't sorted out the little quibbles he'd noticed. He shifted on his heels aware from the slight ache in his knees that he'd been occupied for quite a while before the as yet mysterious interruption.

A manic grin raced over his face, he'd only met one person in this incarnation that had the ability to remove his focus that completely, and he wondered if Rose had gotten a little more than she bargained for in one of the many rooms in his ship.

His grin disappeared as his concentration resumed, not at the panel this time, but at the faint strains of Earth guitars floating towards him. It wasn't unusual to hear music on board, but it was admittedly usually a little quieter than this.

He wasn't annoyed at the interruption, well, maybe a little, but one of Rose's grins would sort that out soon enough and he admitted he was a little curious to find out just what his companion was up to. The Doctor unfolded himself gracefully and turned towards the corridor his loping stride carrying him swiftly from the console room.

He followed the twists and turns of his fantastic ship and grinned. It definitely wouldn't be Jack, a quick touch of his fingers against the wall indicated that the former Time Agent was still snoring, much to the T.A.R.D.I.S' amusement.

Given his and Jack's boisterious personalities it was rare if Rose's choice made it onto their playlist, preferring to hear their favourites and saving hers for when she was in her room.

He wondered curiously what it was she listened to. He'd seen the small silver mp3 player hanging around her neck on the rare moments they indulged in a little r'n'r but he had no idea of her tastes.

He made a mental note to insist on her favourites the next time and smirked, his brain cycling through his knowledge of early 21st Century music. It was unlikely to be anything decent. Probably one of those manufactured 'indie' bands the corporate labels liked to churn out with indecent haste, or one of those sugary pop groups that made his teeth ache and his ears bleed.

He turned another corner and frowned as he tried to decide where to turn next, listening to the sounds he thought it sounded eerily like the frequencies that passed through the T.A.R.D.I.S harmonic filters on occasion whilst they were floating through the vortex, all ephemeral and haunting, half way decent for ape music.

A final turn brought him to the source of the sound, and he slowed his steps, slightly annoyed to find that he'd quickened his pace. He assumed a nonchalant expression; it wouldn't do to seem too interested and rolled his shoulders. He approached the open door and his feet locked as he took in the sight before him.

Rose had found the ballroom. He scratched his ear idly, he hadn't even been aware that he'd still had a ballroom. It had been Susan's idea after a brief fascination with human fairy tales and he'd had little use for it since. His sharp eyes took in the scene before him. She'd obviously stopped in at the wardrobe for a little dress up before coming here because instead of the t shirt and jeans he'd seen her in at breakfast she now wore a ball gown so richly beaded he wondered how she managed to stand. Gold and full the dress sparkled as she span slowly, her head tilted back and her eyes closed.

He could see the odd flash of her trainers and denim and he realised she'd not changed, merely pulled the dress on over her outfit and probably in the process of coming to show him her find, she had wandered in here. The room was large, decorated, much like the rest of the T.A.R.D.I.S., but the lights in here were dim and the shadows cast on her features gave her an angelic appearance, a feeling of intangibility that made him feel if he reached out for her hand she would just disappear.

She was stood smack in the centre of the room, under a small spotlight that shone down into the room lazily, catching molecules and suspending them in a luminescent haze around her. A small computer system blinked from its station near the door, letting him know the source of the music and he spied her mp3 player plugged into the front spilling the ethereal sounds out of hidden speakers even he didn't know the location of. What looked like glitter floated in the air and the combination of the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s nebulous lighting and the colour of her dress made her look as if she was glowing. His breath caught in his throat and he bit his lip. She looked like a goddess.

He owed so much to this small pink and yellow human, whose brief hold on life had made him take stock of his own and showed him that he could be the man he wanted to be. She'd joked with Jack that he'd saved her life with a single word, run, but Jack had seen the truth in his eyes, one touch, one panicked look had been all that it had taken for him to lose himself in the girl's eyes.

He frowned, he really needed to start putting his guard up. Jack saw too much for his comfort. His need for Rose left him open and vulnerable, but he couldn't find it in himself to pull back, her questing innocence made the shadows at the edge of his mind shrink back just a little. Her hand in his soothed his itching guilty conscience

A small smile tugged her lips and suddenly the lyrics of the song came into sharp focus leaving his mouth dry.

"Over here  
Come slowly  
Come slowly to me  
I've been waiting  
Patient  
Patiently  
I didn't  
But now I can see  
That there's a way out"

He had turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt what seemed like a private moment, but a change in the air around him made him stop abruptly in the doorway. He swallowed hard as he heard her soft intake of breath and then her own sweet soprano, untutored but full of passion and strength danced an effortless harmony around the words of the male singer whose voice she was trying to emulate.

He turned back to look at her, entranced as her face seemed to display a maturity he hadn't noticed in her before, a look that made her seem so much more learned that her 19 years.

The meanings of the words were not lost on him and he stood transfixed as he felt himself slip slowly, just that little bit further..

-$-$-$-$-$-$-

Rose felt a sharp change in the air around her, the quiet silky concentration of the time ship sliding into a fizzing intensity that announced the presence of the Doctor. Although the thought of languages being translated in her head had bothered her at first, she had quickly become used to the strange quirks of travelling in a living ship, and kept herself alert as she tried to identify new changes in her outlook.

Since she'd first joined the Doctor she'd noticed whether he was in a room or not wherever it was that they happened to be. Rose had thought simply that it was that alien bit, making him stand out. Since Jack had joined them however, she had begun noticing it with him as well, and sometimes, if she concentrated the people they met on their adventures.

It was harder to notice the feeling when they were out mingling with other people, but here in the T.A.R.D.I.S. is was as if all of their emotions were amplified into some sort of tangible sensation.

She smiled slightly, to her Jack felt like a lazy sundrenched cat, with a hidden sliver of steel under his furry coat of bonhomie. The Doctor though, he felt like the hunt, wolf and ice and loyal and fierce. It took her breath away.

She turned to face the door the smile tugging her lips blossoming into a fully fledged grin as she spotted the Time Lord's presence. She felt heat rise in her face at being caught out doing something so obviously silly and ape-like and she knew her cheeks would be pink as she waited for the onslaught of teasing she knew so well.

Her eyes met the Doctor's as she straightened her shoulders to accept the good-natured attack and even as her mouth opened to apologise for any intrusion the words died on her lips as the look in the Doctor's eyes rushed over her.

The fire of burning universes stared back at her and she could almost imagine the heat of it ravaging her skin. An improbable combination of ice and wind skittered after it and she wondered briefly how he could be both, that intensity of extremes hot and cold wrapped in one potent stare.

She shivered feeling warmth ripple over her skin, goose bumps chasing soon after and she could feel her heart pounding loudly in her ears. Panic tightened her throat sharply. Had she unknowingly stirred some dark memory of his with her childish actions? Had she hurt him?  
The Doctor blinked and the look faded slightly but didn't disappear. He shifted, his leather jacket creaking slightly as he folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.

"Wouldn't have picked that as your sort of music." The words were lazy and drawled slowly across the space towards as he nodded at the computer, hiding everything and nothing all at once.

His voice seemed to release her from his thrall and she started, licking her suddenly dry lips as her eyes darted anywhere but his as she struggled to decipher what he'd said.

"Radiohead?" A grin of relief spread over her face, her tongue curling over her teeth. "Yeah, my guilty secret. Why what did you think I listened to?"

He grinned back at her a little sheepishly his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Girls Aloud?"

Rose laughed and her head fell back slightly, her messy curls trembling as her shoulders shook. "Nah." She motioned to the computer and the dress whispered softly around her. "But don't tell Mickey yeah? If he found out I liked anything without a hip-hop beat I'd never hear the end of it." She rolled her eyes and he nodded again, still smiling.

"So, Rose Tyler. Thought you'd be a little old for playing dress up?" He teased her and she grinned, pink staining her cheeks again. It was a lie, they both knew Rose's obsession with the T.A.R.D.I.S wardrobe. She played along like she was supposed to.

"Wanted to see if there was somewhere I could wear this, it's gorgeous." She fixed him with an indignant look. "And women never get tired of playing dress up; the hemlines just get a little shorter."

He laughed loudly at that and she smiled. "I found this place on the way to ask you, an' it just sort of... called to me." She gestured to the room around her and he followed the action with his eyes.

"I like the song." He was still grinning, leaning lazily against the door and Rose felt her heart skip a beat. "pretty good."

"For stupid apes you mean?" Her tongue made an appearance and she saw his rolled eyes. She wasn't ever gonna let that slide.

He tilted his head in acknowledgment laughter dancing in his endless ice blue eyes.  
"Well, they're better than that fly band at any rate." He allowed. He paused a moment and then that look was back, fire and ice, the wolf and the hunt.

"You can sing." The air seemed to quiver around them, stretching indefinably into something she could almost taste. She opened her mouth to deny the compliment but a movement behind The Doctor stayed her words and her mouth tugged into a rueful grin.

"Hey, Jack."

The Doctor jumped slightly, looking nonplussed at Jack's ability to creep up behind him unawares. Jack grinned over his shoulder at her, his eyes dancing with flirtation and something else that was pure Jack Harkness

"Rosie, looking like a princess! Hey is this Radiohead? I love this band, always wanted to see 'em live. I like the song about the pigs, and that video where they're all just lying on the ground! Genius"

Rose shook her head at his hyperactive chatter. "Just." She named the song he had described and chuckled at his loud 'Aha!'

Rose paused and looked at him inquisitively. "You still listen to Radiohead in the 51st Century?" She grinned at him, her eyes fixed on the time agent and she missed slight look of regret that flickered in the Doctor's eyes.

"Oh, yeah! Transcend time and space. Everywhere I've been you've still got Street Spirit." They both laughed at this and this time she didn't miss the Doctor's frown.

"So? Fancy going out for lunch?" The Doctor interrupted their camaraderie.

Rose nodded and Jack grunted an affirmative as he pushed past the Doctor into the room to look at Rose's mp3 player.

"Come on then. Best change first, though, beautiful as it is, I don't think it'd go down well in Cardiff." She blushed prettily at his comment and grinned shyly at him.

He held out his hand to her and Rose slid her fingers into his, feeling that strange mixture of danger and safety as her fingers locked with his. She followed The Doctor's gentle tugging as he pulled her from the room. Behind her she heard Jack's steps rush to catch up with them.

"Hey wait a minute? Rose can sing? Why didn't you say! There's a karaoke bar on Yelpsin 5 that does mean Hajurhs. They have a competition for best duet, prize is 10,000 credits. We should go there!" Rose could hear the laughter in his voice and she giggled as the Doctor replied his voice dry.

"Do I look like a karaoke kind of person to you?"

Bottom of Form


	2. Bad Wolf Begins

Rose lay on the Captains chair her feet dangling off one side, the blonde curtain of her hair falling in a veil down from the other. Jack and the Doctor were doing 'maintenance' which Rose had decided was just a posh way of saying tinkering with things. She rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys.

They'd been floating in the vortex for a while now after they'd dropped Blon the Egg off with some very grateful Raxicoricofalepetorian parents who couldn't, unfortunately have little eggs of their own.

The Doctor had compromised on Jack's karaoke request and taken them to see Radiohead in concert in 2008. Rose had revelled in the songs that were new to her, and Jack had taught her the words. The Doctor had watched with them indulgently.

Rose hummed 'videotape', musing over the conversation she'd had with Mickey before the T.A.R.D.I.S. had inadvertently destroyed half of Cardiff.

"Doctor?" she called out casually. She knew he was near-by from the buzzing of the sonic screwdriver. He didn't make an appearance but his answer rumbled out from somewhere underneath the metal grill that hid the majority of the console room from sight.

"Yes Rose?" His voice was slightly muffled and she guessed he had a mouthful of sonic screwdriver.

"The T.A.R.D.I.S., she's psychic int' she? Telepathic right s'what you said?" Rose inspected her nails idly waiting for his response.

"Sort of, yeah."

"So, like, does that mean you're telepathic an all?" She frowned at a snagged nail and pulled her emery board out of her jeans pocket.

"Sort of, yeah."

Her lips curled up at his brief response even as her eyes widened as she mulled the implications of his statement.

"Does that mean you can read minds? Like thoughts an stuff?"

Rose heard him sigh heavily then the panel next to her shifted with the harsh rasp of metal on metal. The Doctor's face popped up next to her and she turned on her side to contemplate him as he struggled to find an answer she'd understand without feeling patronised. He was getting better at that Rose noted absently.

"Well, yeah in a way, but I don't go around just looking into people's heads, specially not on Earth, you're all so loud I'd be walking around with a permanent headache."

She nodded and relaxed back on the chair, resuming her position of looking up into the roof of the console room, the soft scrape of her emery board filling the room. She heard the Doctor begin to turn back to his work, but she wasn't finished yet.

"Humans can be psychic as well can't they? Like Gwyneth she was psychic weren't she, all that Bad Wolf stuff and knowing how you liked your tea."

She missed the Doctor's frown at the mention of Bad Wolf as she continued to expound her hypothesis. "Are all humans psychic and you jus' need training? Or is it a special thing y'know like being an artist, or a singer."

She heard the Doctor sigh again and he gave up his attempt to work pulling himself out of the crawl space. His leather jacket creaked slightly as he slid the metal grill back into place. He stood quickly and suddenly he was looking down at her. Rose grinned up at him and he grinned back.

"Gwen was rare, not many humans like that. But I guess in a way, yeah, most humans are psychic if you want to use that word."

Rose frowned as she considered his statement and he rolled his eyes at her. "It's not all magic and miracles Rose, it's just a sense like any other. Your ears pick up certain frequencies to hear sound, your brain picks up certain frequencies to hear thoughts."

Jack slid his lithe body out of the compact access hatch he'd been squeezed into and stood up, brushing off his leather trousers as he moved to stand next to the Doctor. This conversation might just get interesting.

Rose giggled. "Like you?"

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at that. "What's brought all this on then?"

She swung her legs round and sat up, smoothing her hair with her hand. "I was jus' thinkin..."

"Dangerous that." The Doctor joked and she scowled at him.

"'bout what Mickey said." She finished.

This time the Doctor chuckled as he folded his arms and leant back against the console. "Wouldn't be putting too much thought into what Mickey the idiot says, pretty sure he doesn't."

Rose reached out and slapped his leather clad arm.

Jack grinned but nodded at her. "And what did Mickey boy have to say." He waggled his eyebrows comically and Rose shifted her eyes from the Doctor to poke her tongue out at him.

"He's got a new girlfriend."The nail file forgotten on the seat beside her, Rose's hand crept slowly towards her mouth, and chewed the ragged nail thoughtfully.

"You're ok?" Rose could hear the concern in Jack's voice and she smiled at him for his thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, and that's what's bothering me. That I should be more bothered, y'know, a little bit hurt, well more than just my pride anyway." She paused and she could see the two men considering her and debated whether to tell them what was really bothering her. If they laughed she could put it out of her mind, if they didn't, she knew they'd be able to help.

"It was as though I already knew when he knocked on the T.A.R.D.I.S. door, I just knew that he was seein' someone else. Like women's intuition or sommat. Is that 'cos of the T.A.R.D.I.S.?"

The Doctor blinked at her and she elaborated. "Does travellin' in the T.A.R.D.I.S. y'know" Rose waved her hand as if she could pick the words she needed out of the air around her. "Bring out your inner psychic."

Jack chuckled at that and the Doctor turned to glare at him. "Not usually no, although, you Rose Tyler." He pointed his finger at her. "You're a little different from your average ape. No tellin' with you."

Rose frowned "S'what's that mean when it's at 'ome."

"Never met a human like you before." The Doctor stretched his arms out and flexed his fingers together, scanning the room for an example. "Time travellers usually pick up a bit of vortex radiation, totally harmless." His gaze hardened slightly. "You were covered in the stuff, even then, back in Hendricks."

She nodded and thought back through his words. "So humans, they don't know that their shouting all this stuff in their heads, so it interferes, jumbles everythin up!" she looked up at them pleased at her conclusion.

The Doctor looked confused. "What?"

"When I'm in here," she motioned around her to include the whole of the ship. "I can, well, feel ya, sort of in my head yeah? Different colours and well... feelings." She frowned, wishing her vocabulary was a little more extensive. "When we leave, I can't tell so much, it gets a little fuzzy like static."

"Explain." The Doctor bit the word out and Rose tried not to panic at the worried expression on his face.

She shrugged, embarrassment heating her cheeks. "It's difficult."

"Try sweetheart. What does the T.A.R.D.I.S. feel like?" Jack slid next to her and took her hand, his confidence buoying her a little.

"Singing, golden singing. Cool, and tickly, like swimming in a lake, all soft and silky." She held her breath waiting for the laughs she was sure would follow.

Nothing broke the silence, but curious looks met hers. "What about me?" Jack was looking at her intently.

"Like a cat, not a housecat, more like a leopard or something, all sunshine and smiles. But with that dangerous bit underneath." She'd never expressed the sentiment aloud before but Jack grinned, pleased at her description. She saw the Doctor roll his eyes again.

"An' me?" The Doctor's words were low and his gaze held that look again, the one she'd seen in the ballroom the one that had made her feel like the floor had opened up, but gravity had neglected to kick in and she was floating.

"Wolf" she answered promptly, shivering in remembrance. "Like the hunt, fierce fire and ice wind storms all at once" Rose bit her lip and tore her gaze from his. "Intense."

"Hey why can't I be intense?" Jack joked to relieve the tension that had sprung up around them. Rose nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

She attempted to shrug it off. "Sorry, just being silly I guess. Forget I mentioned it."

"No Rose, stuff like this it's important!" The Doctor turned away from her bounding around the console hiding his quick smile at the thought of Rose thinking of him, in any way other than well, alien.

"Humans have contemplated the possibilities of psychic energy and ways to harness it for years! The Chinese call it qi, Freud called it ID, the Japanese they call it Ki." He paused and turned a few dials on the console. "70% of human communication is done without you even realising it."

"Flirting!" Jack chipped in with a chuckle.

The Doctor threw him a dark look. "Buffy even called it her Spider Sense!"

"Buffy?" Rose threw the Doctor a quizzical look.

"The Vampire Slayer." He elaborated his face completely straight.

"Oh get out of here." She laughed, trailing off as the Doctor's face twitched into a smile. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not real. Vampire's aren't real."

The Doctor's look told her otherwise.

Rose still hesitated. Jack watched them with interest. "You're kidding me? Buffy? The one they made a T.V. show about?"

The Doctor nodded and she sighed. "I can never tell when you're joking or not." she bit her lip glanced at him cautiously. "Is she really in love with a 200 year old vampire?"

"Vampire with a soul, Rose, important difference. And yes. Angel, lovely bloke, for a vampire." His eyes were cool, no trace of humour in them.

Jack chuckled at the look on Rose's face and decided to bring them back to the topic of discussion. "We get psychic training at the Academy." he nodded at the Doctor. "Nothing in his league, but most humans have accepted that niggling feeling in the back of their head is more than just wishful thinking."

"Of course, you stupid ape's are around 50,000 years behind most other species in the universe. Some races have even evolved without a mouth, all of their communication is telepathic." The Doctor turned back to the console and flipped a switch.

Rose ignored the jibe and nodded at the console instead. "So where we going then?"

"In this body my telepathy is enough to get me by, but my time sense is much better developed. I know a guy in ancient Japan who'll have a better idea of what's happening inside that little head of yours." The manic grin that raced across his face hid his worry well.

"There's no need to get Saki." Rose's tongue curled around her teeth as Jack chuckled again. At the Doctor's quelling look they leaned against each other as they laughed.

"Reckon it's something to be worried 'bout then?" As their laughter faded Rose's finger headed back towards her mouth and Jack batted it away with his hand.

"Probably not, but Japan is fantastic, definitely worth a visit." The T.A.R.D.I.S. landed with a bump and the Doctor nodded towards the door leading into the belly of the ship.

"Might want to get changed. Rose you can show the Captain where the wardrobe is."

"What about you Doctor?" Jack grinned mischievously. "I think you'd look great as a bushido warrior!"

The Doctor looked down at his blue wool jumper and black leather jacket and then back up at them, eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'll be fine! Now shoo."

Rose jumped off the chair and grabbed Jack's hand, tugging him towards the wardrobe when he hesitated. "Oh leave him, variety for The Doctor involves changing blue wool for red."

The Doctor grinned and waggled his eyebrows at him. "Sometimes I go crazy and go for green." He made shooing motions with his hands and the two humans walked out of the console room Rose skipping lightly.

When they were out of earshot Jack leaned down towards her. "So... that was pretty _intense_ before."

Rose ignored his words and tried to remember the twisting turns that led to the wardrobe room. Was it left after the bins or straight on?

Jack continued with a smirk. "I know I've said it already, but you two are just so cute."

"Jack." Rose sighed exasperatedly as she struggled to recall the Doctor's instructions. "Past the bins, 5th door on the left." She murmured aloud nodding, hoping she'd gotten it right. She turned her attention to Jack's needling "It's not like that."

"Sure." He dragged the word out, a world of meaning in those four letters. "All those smiles, the innuendo, the smouldering glances..." He shivered grinning. "You two could power a small country the heat you give off."

Rose smacked his arm as she spotted the bins. "It's not." she insisted. "Besides, I'm not even sure I'd want that sort of relationship with the Doctor." she wrinkled her nose at him. "I mean he's an alien, maybe he doesn't get the urge to... dance." Her eyes widened. "Maybe he can't!"

Jack snorted. "Yeah okay, I believe you." His tone told her how much he really didn't. "The Doctor may be an alien but he's still male. Although if I remember correctly, the Time Lords were always a little stuffy when it came to... dancing." he used her euphemism with a grin.

Rose paused with her hand on the door to the wardrobe, curious now. Jack reached down and covered her hand with his, twisting the handle and throwing the door open with a flourish.

"Makes sense." He pushed past her, sending an admiring glance at the levels upon levels of clothing.

"What makes sense?" Rose followed him in letting him look his fill. She never got bored of coming in here.

Jack started to hunt amongst the piles of clothing but Rose held back. The T.A.R.D.I.S. would have picked out something suitable for them to wear and would have it hanging near by.

"Hmmm?" Jack dragged his attention back from an item of clothing that looked more straps than actual material. "Oh right, the Doctor. Well he's telepathic, and telepaths are always a little selective when it comes to physical contact. The strength of, well I guess you'd call it signal, increases with skin contact." He held a pink feather boa over his head dubiously.

"The Doctor wore this?"

She shook her head with a grin. "Doubtful, not really his colour." She nodded to the rack that held their outfits and he bounded towards them picking up a red silk keikogi and holding it up to his chest.

Rose giggled and threw him a black silk obi. "What so, touching makes it easier to read people, like palm readers when they hold your hand."

She reached out and fingered the kimono that the T.A.R.D.I.S. had picked for her. It was dark gold, with large pale pink flowers embroidered on it. Cherry blossom leaves trailed the length of one arm the branches embroidered down one side in dark grey.

"Exactly. Skin contact for a telepath is incredibly intimate." Jack had come up behind her and whispered in her ear. Rose shook her head at him and grinned.

"I knew a telepath once, oh," Jack paused in remembrance a rakish smile curling his lips. "Believe me Rose, intense doesn't even come close."

Rose grinned at him trying not to think about whether she was blushing or not. She stepped away, picking up the kimono and what seemed like 20 undergarments that went with it. She moved behind the conveniently placed screen and began to change. She was half way through her 3rd layer when she realised what Jack had said.

She called out over the divide "Hang on… skin contact? But… " Her voice trailed off.

Rose heard Jack's chuckle and knew her face was definitely turning pink. "Well he doesn't hold my hand does he?" Came his silky response.

She hurried through the last undergarment, feeling relief when she finally pulled the quilted robe around her and stepped out from behind the screen obi in her hand

"You mean when he holds my hand he's..."

Jack shook his head trying and failing to hide his amusement. "For a telepath holding hands is practically second base." He chuckled at her worried look. "I'm teasing, but it's unusual."

Rose frowned and Jack stepped towards her, holding out his hand for her obi. She handed it to him and he turned her around to adjust the folds of the material looping the sash around her to hold the outer robe together, his actions comfortable and friendly.

"Why do you hold his hand?" His voice gave nothing away and she twisted her head to see his face.

Rose pondered the question. "Makes me feel safe, an excited yeah, 'cos it usually means we'll be running." She grinned and slid her feet into the strange platform sandles. She looked down at them with a grimace "Hope I won't be running in these it'd be a nightmare."

Jack grinned back. "Well he probably does it for the same reason. Don't knock it, it's a real compliment. Most telepaths can't touch people unless they really trust them, it all gets a bit much unless you're shielding tightly."

Rose nodded and smiled again as Jack picked up a bokken and swirled it around his head before fixing it into his obi with a flourish. "Come on, the Doc'll get antsy if we're in here too long."

She pulled her hair into a tight bun, fixing it with an enamelled comb. Jack turned her back towards the mirror and pushed two more combs into her hair near her temples. Rose shook her head slightly smiling at the strands of beads that fell from them the weight banging gently against her head.

She considered Jack's words as the time agent danced ahead of her, swiping his sword at imaginary foes in the corridors.  
Rose had a feeling he was slightly wrong about the reasons for the Doctor's hand holding. If he could pick up emotions from touch then it made sense that he held her hand to make sure he knew she was feeling okay.

Sometimes though, she was sure it was because her wonderful Time Lord was more than a little broken from his actions in the time war, and he needed to see himself through someone else's eyes. Needed to see that he wasn't everything he himself despised.


End file.
